Cable tap



Feb. 24. 19.25.

c. s. F'RANKEL CABLE TAP Filed Dec. 8, 1925 f i ff//w/ mw 5 J l 7 IWW W j i. A Z w 7 Z y nu@ l J Z Z Z f f j Snuufo'c @hof/e5 5. Fran/(5L.

l Patented Feb. 24, 192s.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. FRANKEL, F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 CONNECTOR CO.-l

INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CABLE TA1.

Application filed December 8,1923. Serial No. 679,452.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. FRANKEL, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, a citizen of the United 5 States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cable Taps, of which' the following is a specification.

The object of my invent-ion is to provide an improved form of cable tap It `may be explained that a cable tap is a device used to connect a branch wire, rod, or bleeder to a main wire, rod, orl bleeder; it does not splice the main, but simply clamps onto it.

More specifically, the object is to provide a cable tap having improved means for more effectually clamping the bare end of the branch conductor in the compression sleeve of the cable tap. '1

With these objects in view, and others appeering as the specification proceeds and the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed, the cable tap of my invention comprises the novel construction, combination and co-operative arrangement of structural parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, as summarized in the claims, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of the specification.

Referring briefly tothe drawing, in which like reference-characters identify corresponding structural parts throughout the several views Figure L1 is a view in elevation of a cable tap constructed' in accordance with my invention; n

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken v on the plane of the section line 2 2, Fig. 1,

`looking in the `direction of the arrows indicated thereon; f

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the plane of the section line 3 3, Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows indicated thereon; and V Figure 4'is a detached detail view, in plan,

lof the coupling member, hereinafter ldescribedin detail. Y a

Figure 5 is adetached, detail view, in side elevation, partly in section, of a modified `form of compression-sleeve.

Referring, now, in det-ail to the draw- 1ng: The cable tap exemplified .in the drawing, and capable of carrying out the underlying principles of my inventiom includes the 55 main `connector body 1 having 'a threaded socket 2 and a lateral, offset, upward-projectmg neck 3 carrying, laterally, the-angu larly projecting bridge or flange 4, which, for the sake of lightness, is provided with the cut away portions 5 and 6. While I have 60 shown the main connector body l and the bridge member 4 as being integral, it is to be understood that they may be separate p ieces, suitably secured together,k as is obv1ous. Y

(lo-Operating with the bridge member 4 to secure the cable tap to a main cable A is 'a coupling member 7, recessed at 8 and 9 to provide four ears 10 apertured to provide bolt-openings 11, which, when the coupling member is disposed in operative position relative to the bridge-member 4 (as shownin Figs. 1 and 2) are alined with corresponding bolt-openings in the latter, whereby threaded bolts 12 may be projected through said alined openings, and nuts 13 screwed on said bolts. The coupling-member 7 car-y ries, on one face thereof, rectilinear projections 7', against which the-heads 12 0f the bolts 12 abut, so that 4turning of the bolts is prevented.

The bridge-member 4 and the coupling member 7 are provided, on opposing faces, with complemental recesses 14, machined to fit the main cable A, in which recesses the cable reposes in the operative position of the cable tap, as shown in the drawing.

Adapted to be screwed into the threaded socket 2 of the connector body 1 is the lateral, threaded portion 15 of a compressionsleeve member 16, which is provided, between its ends and preferably adjacent one end of the threads on the threaded portion 15, with a circumferentialJ` enlargement 17, having hexagonal faces for engagement by a wrench. A jam or lock nut 18, carried by j wthe threaded portion 15 of the compressonsleeve member 16, is screwed up against the end of the connector body 1. j

The compression-sleeve member 16 is pro- 100 vided with a' longitudinally-extending recess or socket 19; and the wall of this socket, from the outer end :thereof to a point sonic distance short of theinner end,"1s provided with a pluralit 'of longitudinallyeztending, equidist-ant y spaced slits 20,-`whereby a plurality of resilient fingers is 'formed l Preferably, the inner surfaceeoflthe wall of the socket- 19, extending throughout Substantially the entire length of said slits 20,

is provided with grooves' 21, for the purpose presently appearing; or, as shown in y Fig. 5, these grooves may be omitted.

The compression-sleeve member 16, 'eX- `tending from the inner end of the slits 20 the sleeve-member 16 and causing them to forcibly engage or bind against the branch conductor cable B, which is inserted in the socket 19, and hold the same against accidental displacement.

l The compression-sleeve member 16 is provided with a tapering extremity 27, which,v when a second compression nut 28 is screwed upon the threaded portion 25 of the compression-sleeve member 16, is engaged by the complemental tapering internal shoulder 29 of said nut, thereby further to compress the spring lingers of the compression-sleeve member 16 and cause them to more tightly bind against the conductor cable B.,

It will be obvious, of course, that, instead ofa threaded connection between the compression-sleeve member 16 and the main conductor body 1 (as previously described and as shown in the' drawing), said main' conductor-body and the compression sleeve may be made integral.

The operation of the device is obvious, but' may be briefly stated to be as follows: When itis desired to assemble the cable-tap of my invention in operative relation to a main cableA and the branch cable B, the main connector-body 1 is disposed so that the bridge-member 4-lies over the cable A, with the cable resting in the -groove 14 of the bridge-member.z Thereupon, the couplingmember 7 is disposed beneath the bridgemember 4, so rthat the cable A also rests in the groove 14 ofthe coupling-member; and the bolts 12 are inserted in the bolt-openings 11 of the bridge-member 4 and the couplingmember 7, and the nuts 18 secrewed up "tightl whereupon the cable A is securely held y said bridge-member and coupling member, with themainconnector bodyl suspended in a vertical position. The compression-sleeve member 16 is no-w screwed into the socket 2 of the connector body 1, and the lock-nut 18 adjusted. Then, one end of the branch cable B is inserted in thev socket 19, and the compression-nut 23 adjusted on the them into clampin compression-sleeve memberv 16 until the tapering shoulder 26 of the nut bears forcibly against the complemental inclined or tapering face on the exterior of the compression-sleeve 16, thereby compressing the lingers of the ycompression sleeve and binding them tightly against the cable B. As the -cable is thus tightly grasped, portions thereof will be forced into the grooves 21 internally of the compressionsleeve 16, these grooves thereby functioning in increasing they resistance to slipping or pulling out of the cable B from the socket 19. Finally, the end compression `nut 28is screwed on the end of the compression-nut 23 until the tapering shoulder 29 thereof bears forcibly against the tapering extremity 27 ofthe compression-fingers of the compression-sleeve 16, thereby forcing the eX- tremities of said'fingers inward to cause the same to bind still more tightly against the cable B. The device thus presents triple clamping means, namely, (1) the com ression-nut 16, (2) the grooves 21, and (3 the end compression nut 28, all coordinated and co-operating as described. i

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent of the United States is:

1. A cabletap comprising a main connector body, a' compression-sleeve member carried by said body and having resilient terminal-ingers, a main compression-member engageable with said fingers to force them A into clamping relation with a branch cable, and an auxiliary compression-member engageable with the extremities of said fingers to force them into clamping relationv with said branch cable.

2. A cable tap comprising a main connector body, a compression-sleeve member carried by said body and having resilient terminal-fingers, a main compression nut adapted to be screwed on said compression sleeve member and to force said lingers into clamping relation with a branch cable, and an vauxiliary compression-nut adapted to be secrewed on said main compressionnut and engageable with the extremities of said fingers to force them into still tighter clamp-ing relation with said branch cable.

3. A cableftap comprising a main connectorlbody,A a compression-sleeve member screwed into said body and having resilient terminal-fingers, a main compression-member engageable with said -fingers to force relation with a branch cable, and an/auxiliary compression-member engageable with the extremities'of said iingers to force them into still tighter clamping 4relation with said cable'.Y

4. A cable tap comp-rising a main connector body, a compression-sleeve screwed into said body and having resilient terminalfingers, a lock nut carried by'said compressoY 4sion-sleeve and adapted to be screwed up against said connector-body,

a main compression-member engageable with said fingers to force them into clamping relation with a branch cable, and an auxillary eom I pression member ngageable with the exnector body, a. compression-sleeve member carriedfbyxsaid body and having resilient terminal fingers, said fingers, intermediate their ends, having a circumferential tapered face, the extremities of said fingers being also tapered, a main compression-nut screwed on said compression-sleeve member and having a tapering internal shoulder engageable with said circumferential tapered face intermediate the ends of said fing rs, and an auxiliary compression nut likewise having an internal tapering shoulder engageable with the tapered extremities of said fingers.

CHARLES FRANKEL. 

